HR Stories Podcast - A Lesson in Every Story!
Welcome to the HR Stories Podcast — making work better one story at a time.
Every workplace has stories. Some are about organizations that got it wrong. Others are about leaders who got it right. And sometimes, the most important lessons come from the everyday decisions that shape how people experience work.
Your storytellers, John Thalheimer MS and Chuck Simikian SPHR, SHRM-SCP, use real workplace stories as the teaching tool.
LISTEN to what happened.
LEARN from the decisions, successes, mistakes, and warning signs.
ACT on practical ideas that can make your workplace better.
Each episode starts with a story — a court case, a leadership challenge, an HR misstep, an employee experience, or an organization trying something different. John and Chuck then break down what happened, why it matters, and most importantly, what we can learn from it.
Sometimes that means understanding an employment law or avoiding an expensive mistake. Sometimes it means becoming a better leader, building trust, improving communication, or creating a workplace where people can do their best work.
That balance is what HR Stories is all about: practical HR, thoughtful leadership, and real-world lessons you can use.
John and Chuck have spent their careers helping HR professionals, business owners, and leaders navigate the people side of business through consulting, training, coaching, and thousands of live learning experiences.
Their goal with HR Stories is simple:
Tell good stories. Find the lesson. Make work better.
John is the Founding Director of True Star Leadership™, which focuses on helping managers and leaders learn performance management principles. Chuck is the Founding Partner of Alliance HR Partners, which provides HR consulting and training to businesses nationwide. Together, they have over 40 years of experience navigating the challenges of HR and recently published their book, The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklist Edition. Go to https://ultimateguidetohr.com/ for more information, download a free sample, and watch their webinar on the Secret Power Behind Successful Businesses.
HR Stories Podcast - A Lesson in Every Story!
We are all Employees (Part 1) - Stories about Employee Rights that Managers and HR Pros Need to Remember
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Have you heard that you can get in trouble for discussing wages with other employees? This intimidation practice can not only be stressful or infringe upon employee rights but also illegal. There are a number of ways that employers can violate employee rights and this is part one of a two-part series all about those rights. It’s important to remember that you, as an HR professional, are also an employee with rights - not just all of the other employees.
In today’s episode, Chuck and John will talk about poor pay practices - where tipped employees weren’t making a minimum wage due to a practice by the employer. They talk about what qualifications there are for overtime and minimum wage in these circumstances. They will also touch on employee rights with religious beliefs when a company requires that he be cleanly shaven.
In the HR News segment, the team touches on the following topics and more:
- More I-9 updates
- Music in the workplace being classified as discrimination
Our new book...The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE!
Go to UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.
Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.
You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast
Don't forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!
Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.
The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.